Offender Record · OFF-2026-061
Glennon Engleman (photo from the Radford University biography)
Glennon Edward Engleman
Sex
Male
Race
White
Born
1927
Custody
Deceased
States
MO, US
Distinguishing featuresStockily built and attractive despite round face, as described in the Radford University biography.
Custody
Died March 3, 1999 at Jefferson City Correctional Center, Missouri.
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Summary of the record
Glennon Edward Engleman (February 6, 1927 – March 3, 1999) was an American dentist, contract killer, and serial killer who planned and carried out at least five murders for monetary gain over 30 years. Engleman was convicted of mail fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud, three murders in Illinois, and two capital murders in Missouri. Engleman died on March 3, 1999, after serving a life sentence in prison.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Jan 14, 1980, St. Louis, Missouri
Federal Damaging a Vehicle in Interstate Commerce by Means of Explosive - Sophie Barrera
United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri · Docket 80-1961 · Arrested Feb 24, 1980 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 30 years federal imprisonment
Sophie Marie Barrera, owner of South St Louis Dental Laboratory to whom Engleman owed over $14,000, was killed in a car bomb explosion. On 25 September 1980, a jury in federal court found Engleman guilty of mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud in the murder of Barrera and he was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
SourcesGlennon Engleman; United States v. Glennon E. Engleman (80-1906), 648 F.2d 473; Dr. Glennon Engleman: St. Louis area serial murderer used charm for insurance fraud over 22 years
Offense date Jan 14, 1980, St. Louis, Missouri
Capital Murder - Sophie Barrera (Missouri state court)
Missouri · Arrested Feb 24, 1980 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment without parole for 50 years
In 1981, he was sentenced to a second life sentence when he was found guilty of the murder of Sophie Barrera.
SourcesDr. Glennon Engleman: St. Louis area serial murderer used charm for insurance fraud over 22 years; Glennon Engleman
Capital Murder - Peter J. Halm
Missouri · Arrested Feb 24, 1980 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 50 years without parole; later referred to as life sentence in Missouri records
Peter Halm, aged 26, was shot in Pacific, Missouri in 1976. His wife, Carmen Miranda Halm, a former dental assistant trainee who had worked for Engleman and known him since childhood, ordered the hit to collect life insurance on Halm.
SourcesGlennon Engleman; Glennon Engleman; Dr. Glennon Engleman: St. Louis area serial murderer used charm for insurance fraud over 22 years
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
5
Victims convicted
7
Victims confessed
7
Victims suspected
Active years
1958–1980
Victim profile
Men, Couples, Patients in care, Acquaintances
Stated motive
Financial gain
Range from home
regional
Accomplice
Yes
Confessed
Yes
Education
graduate
Marital history
Married, Divorced
Children
1
Died
1999-03-03 · natural
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
MO
Saint Louis, Missouri
approx. 1950 – 1954 · Washington University School of Dental Medicine, attended on GI Bill
Saint Louis, Missouri
1954 – 1980 · Dental practice operator on south side of St. Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri
1954 – 1980 · South side of St. Louis
Pacific, Missouri
approx. 1958 – 1964 · Co-owner of Pacific Drag Strip
Jefferson City, Missouri
1980 – Mar 03, 1999 · Jefferson City Correctional Center
US
United States
approx. 1945 – 1946 · Army Air Corps, World War II era service · air force
Timeline
Feb 06, 1927
Glennon Edward Engleman was born February 6, 1927 in St. Louis, Missouri.
Dec 17, 1958
On the night of December 17th, 1958, 27-year-old James Bullock was shot near Forest Park in Saint Louis.
Sep 26, 1963
On Sept. 26, 1963, Eric Frey was hit over the head with a rock and ended up at the bottom of a well with a large amount of dynamite.
Sep 05, 1976
Peter Halm, aged 26, was shot in Pacific, Missouri in 1976.
Nov 03, 1977
On November 3, 1977, he killed Arthur and Vernita Gusewelle in their farmhouse near Edwardsville, Illinois.
Mar 31, 1979
On March 31, 1979, he murdered Ronald Gusewelle in East St. Louis, Illinois.
Jan 14, 1980
On January 14, 1980, Sophie's car exploded, killing her instantly.
Feb 24, 1980
Glennon Engleman was first charged with murder on February 24, 1980.
Aug 1980
Tried first in the Halm case, on federal charges of conspiracy and fraud, Engleman and Handy were convicted in August 1980.
Dec 1980
Engleman received a guilty verdict and a 50-year sentence for the murder of Peter Halm.
Jun 03, 1981
In 1981, he was sentenced to a second life sentence when he was found guilty of the murder of Sophie Barrera.
Jun 20, 1985
Engleman pleaded guilty in 1985 to all three killings of the Gusewelle family and was sentenced to three concurrent life sentences.
Mar 03, 1999
Glennon Edward Engleman died on March 3, 1999, after serving a life sentence in prison.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
News report · Wikipedia ·
Glennon Engleman“A United States Army veteran, he planned and carried out at least five murders for monetary gain over 30 years.”
News report · Heart Starts Pounding podcast ·
Glennon Engleman: The Serial Killer Dentist“Glen was never formally charged for James Bullock's murder, allegedly the first murder he committed, which remains an open, unsolved case.”
News report · Murderpedia ·
Glennon Engleman“Engleman was first charged with murder on February 24, 1980 in the death of Peter Halm; convicted in August 1980 and sentenced to 50 years without probation.”
News report · Fox 2 Now / St. Louis Post-Dispatch ·
Dr. Glennon Engleman: St. Louis area serial murderer used charm for insurance fraud over 22 years“Engleman was convicted of mail fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud, three murders in Illinois, and two capital murders in Missouri.”
News report · Daily Herald ·
Wife who killed husband out of prison“Engleman pleaded guilty in 1985 to all three killings of the Gusewelle family and was sentenced to three concurrent life sentences.”
Other · Radford University ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Engleman, Glennon“Dr. Glennon Edward Engleman suspected of 7 victims, convicted of 5 murders over a 30-year span in Missouri and Illinois.”
Court record · U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit ·
United States v. Glennon E. Engleman (80-1906), 648 F.2d 473“Glennon Engleman and Robert Handy appeal their joint jury convictions on fifteen counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud in connection with the death of Peter J. Halm, Jr.”
Discussion
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